Events

Opening Gala Night

The Maine Home & Design Opening Night Gala on Wednesday, March 10 from 6:00 – 9:00 PM will feature the soothing sounds of the Peter Dugas Trio. While you enjoy the opportunity to be among the first to know who wins “Best in Show” you can take in all the flower show has to offer in a less crowded environment. Fabulous refreshments are provided by Aurora Provisions courtesy of our wonderful sponsors and will include a cash bar.

Auction

The annual Cumberland County Master Gardener Plant Auction will be held on Sunday, March 14th at the Portland Flower Show, 58 Fore Street, Portland. The event includes a silent auction between 12:30 to 2:30 pm in Building #11, and a live auction with bargain table starting at 5:30 pm in Building #3.

This popular event, now in its 8th year, is an annual rite of passage to spring for Master Gardener Volunteers and the public alike. The live auction includes hardscape, perennials, shrubs, and trees from the displays at the Portland Flower Show. Estabrook’s Garden Center in Yarmouth will be donating all of the plants in their exhibit. The silent auction includes items and services donated by local garden centers, professional landscapers, Master Gardener Volunteers, and many of the vendors participating in the show. The bargain table offers multiple lots of the same variety and is a great way to fill that certain space with mass plantings. The space for the auction is generously provided by Portland Yacht Services.

This event, the largest annual fundraiser by the Cumberland County Master Gardeners, benefits the home horticultural programs of the University of Maine’s Cooperative Extension services in Cumberland County.

Registration for both auctions is from 12:30 - 2:30, during the silent auction, in Building #11 (directly across from the main entrance to the Flower Show) or in Building # 3 at 5:00. The entrance to the live auction is to the side of the main building halfway down the driveway of Portland Yacht Services under the catwalk. There is no admittance fee for either the silent or live auctions.

For more information about the auction, contact the Cumberland County Extension Office at
1-800-287-1471 (in Maine) or 207-780-4205.

Children's Discovery Garden

Are you looking for an educational and entertaining activity to do with your children? Then please visit the Children's Discovery Garden on the second floor of Building 2.

To start with there is a scavenger hunt - a way for both children and their parents to see each garden in the main exhibit area. Scavenger hunt sheets, available just inside the main entrance, list a variety of items in the gardens for children to find. Afterwards they can visit the Children's Discovery Garden on the second floor to check their findings and receive a prize package of nasturtium seeds as a reward for all of their hard work!

Two "make and take" projects will keep them occupied for a few minutes. One is making a plant marker for their nasturtiums. The other is creating a squiggly caterpillar. For those who like to touch things, there is a quiz board featuring birds of the backyard, an art wall to draw upon and a set of discovery boxes to identify mystery objects.

Each day the "Veggie People", walking - talking vegetables will present a skit, talk about nutritious vegetable snacks and explain how families can grow plants with edible flowers to enjoy with salads and snacks.

While the kids are busy, Dr. Bud Johnston, Extension Horticulturists and Master Gardeners will be available to answer gardening questions you and your children may have. Almost sixty University of Maine Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Volunteers from Cumberland and York Counties create and tend the garden during the show. Their efforts are supported by an endowment grant from the Libra Foundation and donations from individuals and businesses.